Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

* Who Moved?
* Scripture: "Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide in times of trouble?"
Psalm 10:1 , NKJV

They had been married a few years. Now, riding along, music and the road ahead held their attention. Finally, she turned, gazed at her husband behind the steering wheel, sighed and said, "You know, we don't sit close to each other like we used to."
He briefly turned his head to look at her, then down at the seat between them, and returned his focus to the road ahead. Finally, he softly asked, "Who moved?"
Distance is distance, a measurement between two points. It might be a few inches on an automobile seat, or ninety-three million miles between the earth and the sun, and you could debate how close the two points are, or how far apart. There are times, though, when it becomes important to establish one point as a reference and compare everything else to that.
I can state the dimensions of a piece of land in a certain number of feet east and west, and north and south, and you would know how big of an area it covers. Still, you wouldn't have a clue as to the location until I give you a reference point to work from.
It is quite likely that the husband in the story is sitting right where he always has - behind the steering wheel.
Who moved?

The little story comes to mind whenever I feel distant from the Lord, or when I hear someone lament, as did the Psalmist, that the closeness they had known is not like it used to be.

"Why do you stand afar off, O Lord?"
Who moved?

If we make ourselves the center of the universe, well, yes, I suppose the Lord is distant from us. But if we establish God as the reference point for all things, including our relationship -
Who moved?

We might cry, as Jesus cried from the cross (Mark 15:34) -
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" Or add the words from the Psalmist, "Why are you so far from helping me?" (Psalm 22:1)
Remember that the Lord is near:
"All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's, And He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:27-28)
Make the Lord your Divine Shepherd! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me!" (Psalm 23:4)
The Lord is right where He always was.
Scoot over a little closer!
April 23, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8, NKJV)

Distance - The extent of space or time that separates everything with which we are familiar. Perhaps no measurements mean more to us than those which relate to our lives, and our relationships to friends and family. It is with sadness that we contemplate increasing space distance between ourselves and those we love, especially the distance of death. We periodically celebrate the distance of time between life-events, such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Like breathing, we seldom think about life unless something calls our attention to it. We rejoice at new life given in birth, and grieve at life taken in death. Stories about life interests us because we have life in common. However, knowing about feelings we all share is not the same as directly experiencing them. While we can be emotionally involved with others that we only know about, such as Mother Theresa, or Princess Diana (it seems like their family includes most of the world) we will certainly be emotionally closer to relatives and friends that we do know. If we had an Emotion Meter, Im sure it would read the highest in direct proportion to our closeness to the event.
England, India, Ohio - different lands, different cultures, but we are linked by a common bond. We are separated from the lands of the Middle East by many miles, and by hours with even the fastest airplane. Biblical events are even more distant from us in terms of time. Still, we can relate to the Biblical message, because we have something in common with every person in the Biblical record - LIFE!
Our worldly measurements of time and space can not define either Heaven, or God. How, then, can we relate to Gods realm? Because God IS life; God gave each of us life. God also sent His Son to our realm. He was born, lived among us, and died, experiencing all that we experience. He is the resurection and the life. Jesus said, If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
God is only as distant as we make it. The Bible states, Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8) 9/7/97